OPP release results of April’s month-long gun amnesty

May 10, 2018

ONTARIO — Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and its municipal law enforcement partners have received and rendered safe hundreds of weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition during a month-long Gun Amnesty.

During the month of April, the OPP:

received 592 gun amnesty calls for service, 86 of which (or 14.5 per cent) were received through the online reporting option on the OPP website;

recovered 689 items through appointments made with OPP officers including 267 rifles, 156 shotguns, 113 prohibited firearms, and 62 other guns such as replica and vintage weapons; and,

collected 12,615 pieces of ammunition.

All Ontario police services participated in the month-long initiative. During that time, a total of 1,503 guns were voluntarily surrendered in non-OPP jurisdictions.

“I’m so proud of the collaboration demonstrated by members of the OPP and all of our municipal partners during the gun amnesty. The results clearly show the public was engaged and supported our combined efforts to reduce the number of firearms, accessories and ammunition in their communities, which then enhances public and police officer safety.”

— OPP Commissioner J.V.N. (Vince) Hawkes

A majority of firearms that have been surrendered to police will be destroyed, but a number of guns will be retained for historical, educational or training purposes. Although the gun amnesty has officially ended, police will continue to accept submissions from the public. Interested gun owners may call the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or their local police service’s non-emergency lines to arrange for officers to attend and safely retrieve the weapons.

Police continue to encourage members of the public to turn in unwanted weapons despite the conclusion of this initiative. Police retain the ability to exercise discretion (amnesty) regarding weapons related charges at all times, not just during this month long event. The public is reminded that no one should ever deliver guns, ammunition or military ordinance directly to police facilities.

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